Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 57.70
Liaison Joséanne Bélanger-Gravel
Submission Date May 31, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Polytechnique Montréal
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.92 / 8.00 Matthieu Décoste
Chef de secteur entretien et stationnement (Maintenance and Parking sector manager)
Service des immeubles (Building Management)
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 91.99 Metric tons 123.45 Metric tons
Materials composted 11.14 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials donated or re-sold 0 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 250.40 Metric tons 237.16 Metric tons
Total waste generated 389.70 Metric tons 397.50 Metric tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
---

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year May 1, 2014 April 30, 2015
Baseline Year May 1, 2011 April 30, 2012

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):

The financial year 2011-2012 was the last year where all complete data about waste generation is available. There is a gap in the available data in between. The data collection is then complete for 2014-2015.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 0 0
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 6,428.93 5,696.15
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 1,422.96 1,306.88
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 5,888.92 5,252.27

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 353.53 Metric tons 360.61 Metric tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
12.56

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
29.17

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
29.17

In the waste figures reported above, has the institution recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold the following materials?:
Yes or No
Paper, plastics, glass, metals, and other recyclable containers Yes
Food Yes
Cooking oil No
Plant materials No
Animal bedding No
White goods (i.e. appliances) No
Laboratory equipment Yes
Furniture Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste No
Scrap metal Yes
Pallets Yes
Tires No
Other (please specify below) No

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
---

Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year (e.g. materials that are actively diverted from the landfill or incinerator and refurbished/repurposed) :
---

Does the institution use single stream recycling (a single container for commingled recyclables) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
No

Does the institution use dual stream (two separate containers for recyclables, e.g. one for paper and another for plastic, glass, and metals) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use multi-stream recycling (multiple containers that further separate different types of materials) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
No

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
---

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed, e.g. efforts to minimize contamination and/or monitor the discard rates of the materials recovery facilities and mills to which materials are diverted:

In 2012, an important waste characterisation was carried out. Around 20 students from Polytechnique and 10 students from Université de Montréal worked on the project. Since then, visual audits of the sorting system are carried out (on a non-regular basis). The last one was done in March-April 2016 by a student.


A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:

To help the community improve their waste management skills, the garbage collection bins were customized in 2015 when the new sorting system was deployed. Since then, when an item seems problematic, posters showing this "star waste" are temporarily installed over the garbages to help. Multiple awareness-raising campaigns (through Poly-TRI) also happen during the year. Students ambassadors actively participate in those campaigns.


A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:

Every year, during the summer, a data collection about the different waste amount generated is started for the last ended fiscal year (May 1 rst to April 30th). Those data are kept to help monitor the efficiency of the system and the potential improvement of behaviors and are used in Polytechnique Montréal's sustainable development report, written every year by the Sustainable Development Office.


A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
---

A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:

Polytechnique Montréal has an official procedure in regards to the disposal of goods and surplus (Procédure relative à la disposition des biens). The procurement department determines if a good can be reused, recovered, or must be sent to recycling or ultimate disposal. The procurement department will determine the disposition of the good according to the order of following priority:
1. Offer the good to another unit/department.
2. Offer the good externally if no unit or department has expressed an interest in this good and if it does not meet any foreseeable needs in the medium term.
3. Consider valorisation or recycling if it represents no residual value for Polytechnique.
4. Send to ultimate disposal if no residual value for Polytechnique or if the resale value is lower than the costs entailed by its resale.
An email is sent to all Polytechnique's employees when a surplus is available.

More information is available at: http://www.polymtl.ca/sg/docs_officiels/1310bien.php


A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse (e.g. of electronics, furnishings, books and other goods):
---

A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption (e.g. restricting free printing and/or mandating doubled-sided printing in libraries and computer labs):
---

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials (e.g. course catalogs, course schedules, and directories) available online by default rather than printing them:
---

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
---

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
---

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

In most of the Operations credits, including OP-19, the performance year chosen is 2014-2015 because of operational data availability. For these credits, the numbers reported for FTE of enrolled students corresponds to the numbers for the Summer 2014, Fall 2014 and Winter 2015 sessions.

These numbers are thus different from those presented in the IC-3 criteria, which provides the most up-to-date data on FTE for students (FTE for the Summer 2015, Fall 2015 and Winter 2016 sessions).


In most of the Operations credits, including OP-19, the performance year chosen is 2014-2015 because of operational data availability. For these credits, the numbers reported for FTE of enrolled students corresponds to the numbers for the Summer 2014, Fall 2014 and Winter 2015 sessions.

These numbers are thus different from those presented in the IC-3 criteria, which provides the most up-to-date data on FTE for students (FTE for the Summer 2015, Fall 2015 and Winter 2016 sessions).

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.